Chapter 8: The Politics of Hope and Rage: The United States in the 1960s, The Sharon Statement and The Port Huron Statement.

Arguably the two most important young political movements during the 1960’s comprised of Young Americans for Freedom, and Students for a Democratic Society.  Young Americans for Freedom, or YAF, was comprised of young conservatives who were committed activists.  Students for a Democratic Society, or SDS, was made up of radical students who defined themselves as the “new left.”  The Sharon Statement and The Port Huron Statement were the manifestos of these young political organizations.

The Sharon Statement is a declaration that you would expect from a young conservative faction.  It focuses on freedoms of the self whereas they proclaim that a governmental body should first, and foremost, protect an individual’s free will.  This declaration is less focused on their intentions as a political group, and more focused on their beliefs as conservative activists.  They proclaim many conservative beliefs such as, “…when government interferes with the work of the market economy, it tends to reduce the moral and physical strength of the nation; that when it takes from on  man to bestow on another, it diminishes the incentive of the first, the integrity of the second, and the moral autonomy of both…”

The Port Huron Statement is a declaration proclaiming the importance of equality by arguing that the nation we live in is based on total hypocrisy.  It focuses on hypocritical aspects of American history such as, “The declaration ‘all men are created equal…’ rang hollow before the facts of Negro life in the South and the big cities of the North.”  Then the declaration goes on to promote the importance of equality and freedom by explaining that all people have an unlimited amount of potential to do great things, and those people just need a chance.

What’s amazing about these two political manifestos, one from the right-wing and one from the left-wing, is that they do not completely contrast one another.  Instead, there are actually aspects to each declaration that complement one another.  I believe that at the core of each speech is the essence of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; taken directly from The Declaration of Independence.  The Sharon Statement appears to be arguing the importance of freedom for personal advancement.  In this sense, the government exists to protect and administrate.  The Port Huron Statement appears to be arguing the importance of freedom in order to maintain equality for all people.  In this sense, the government has already failed because we have failed to give all individuals the opportunity to live their lives to their full potential.

The Sharon Statement does a great job promoting what it believes in, but they give no regard to less fortunate individuals that never had an equal opportunity compared to other people.  The Port Huron Statement does a great job promoting equality, but it is very romanticized.  In the end I feel The Port Huron Statement has the ability to influence the lives of people, past and present.  Again, this influence is partly due to the feeling of romanticism.  However I have to argue that most people will agree that “the object is not to have one’s way so much as it is to have a way that is one’s own.”

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